PROCESS SIMULATION - WHAT CAN A DIGITAL TWIN DO?

摘要

Eckard Eberle discusses the role for model-based technologies as the basis for continuous process optimisation and efficient plant operation. Imagine you could see the future when operating your plant. Not with a crystal ball or cards, but with absolute certainty. The key to achieving this lies in simulations that are very close to reality. In a model such as a digital twin, the reality - in this instance comprising all the plant components and their characteristics and functionalities - is described using mathematical equations. But the digital twin can map not only reality, but also 'what-if' scenarios to provide reliable predictions of a plant's future behaviour. It can do this because the model is bound by neither the technical limits of a device nor safety restrictions so the work of process optimisation can therefore be completed in a safe, virtual environment. And because the simulations have no time limits, accurate predictions of the plant behaviour are no longer a ipipe dream. In an ideal scenario, three 'independent' digital twins collaborate on a single process plant: The digital twin of the product, the virtual image of the production plant, and the digital modeling of product and production performance. To understand the concept of a 'digital twin' it is important to remember that the depth of detail - the accuracy of the twin - is highly dependent on the intended purpose. Depending on the specific job, for example, production simulation, optimisation of the production process, or solving economic problems, models of greater or lesser accuracy are required and useful.